How to treat covid at home

Pain relievers like acetaminophen (Tylenol®) or ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®) can relieve minor aches and pains. Cough suppressants or expectorants may also be recommended, but it’s best to get specific advice from your healthcare provider.

Most people with COVID-19 have mild illness and can recover at home without medical care. Do not leave your home, except to get medical care. Do not visit public areas.

Take care of yourself. Get rest and stay hydrated. Take over-the-counter medicines, such as acetaminophen, to help you feel better. Stay in touch with your doctor. Call before you get medical care.

Here are some tips on how to take care of yourself: Eat a healthy diet, avoid using drugs and alcohol, and get plenty of sleep and regular exercise to help reduce stress and anxiety. Activities as simple as taking a walk, stretching, and deep breathing can help relieve stress.

Establish and maintain a routine. Try to eat meals at regular times, and put yourself on a sleep schedule to ensure you get enough rest. Include a positive or fun activity in your schedule that you can look forward to each day or week. If possible, schedule exercise into your daily routine.

Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media. Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting. If you want to stay up-to-date on the pandemic, visit CDC’s website for the latest recommendations on what you can do to protect yourself and those you care for.

You can be around others after:

10 days since symptoms first appeared and
24 hours with no fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and
Other symptoms of COVID-19 are improving

When it comes to basic sanitation and hygiene items, try to have bleach, soap, hand sanitizer, antibacterial wipes, face masks, laundry detergent, and garbage bags on hand. You’ll also want to have some basic first aid supplies at home, like an inexpensive digital thermometer, gloves, and bandages.

Be sure to think about the non-food items you regularly purchase at the pharmacy or grocery store and try to have at least two weeks’ worth on hand. This includes toilet paper, toothpaste, tissues, batteries for hearing aids, and contact lens solution.

There are steps you can take to help protect yourself, grocery store workers and other shoppers, such as wearing a face covering, practicing social distancing, and using wipes on the handles of the shopping cart or basket.

Try to look at this period of social distancing as an opportunity to get to things you’ve been meaning to do.

Though you shouldn’t go to the gym right now, that doesn’t mean you can’t exercise. Take long walks or run outside (do your best to maintain at least six feet between you and non-family members when you’re outside). Do some yoga or other indoor exercise routines when the weather isn’t cooperating.

Kids need exercise too, so try to get them outside every day for walks or a backyard family soccer game (remember, this isn’t the time to invite the neighborhood kids over to play). Avoid public playground structures, which aren’t cleaned regularly and can spread the virus.

Pull out board games that are gathering dust on your shelves. Have family movie nights. Catch up on books you’ve been meaning to read, or do a family read-aloud every evening.

WHO recommends consuming a minimum of 400 g (i.e. 5 portions) of fruits and vegetables per day. Citrus fruits like oranges, clementines and grapefruit are good options, as well as bananas and apples, which can also be cut into smaller pieces and frozen for later consumption or to add to smoothies.

Root vegetables such as carrots, turnips and beets, as well as vegetables like cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower are relatively nonperishable. Garlic, ginger and onions are also great options to keep at home, as they can be used to add flavour to a variety of meals.

All frozen fruits such as berries, pineapple and mango are great options, as they still contain high levels of fibre and vitamins and are often less expensive than the fresh versions. These frozen fruits can be added to juices, smoothies or porridge or eaten with low-fat plain yogurt after defrosting.

Frozen vegetables are nutritious, quick to prepare, and consuming them can help reach the recommendations, even when fresh foods are scarce.

If you’re sick with COVID-19, rather than force yourself to eat, look to liquids, such as soup, smoothies and meal replacement drinks. “It’s easier to sip than chew if you’re struggling,”

Meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, beans, nuts and seeds all have lots of protein.

These nutrients have been shown to help your immune system work most efficiently and effectively, but too much of a good thing can be harmful. Eat these nutrients in moderation and don’t go overboard.

• Exercising regularly – Experts recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week.
• Eating a healthy, balanced diet that is high in fruits and vegetables – Use the MyPlate technique to determine portions and types of healthy foods that are best for nourishing your army.

Long COVID is a range of symptoms that can last weeks or months after first being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 or can appear weeks after infection. Long COVID can happen to anyone who has had COVID-19, even if their illness was mild, or if they had no symptoms.